The Sad Thing is,...He's Right!

He's a shrill loser and the Pope should censure him,..but he's right!

Gentle readers, face facts: the entire primary circus was supposed to be a run-up to Shrillary's coronation. She's planned for the White House since she and Slick Willie ran Arkansas! She's looked the other way while Bill dropped his pants at every moderately-good looking woman he saw. He bought her Senate seat by bribing Hasidic Jews in the Hudson Valley. She was willing to throw away the Florida and Michigan votes because she didn't think she'd actually NEED them in Denver.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Onward Christian Soldiers?

Army officials say they are only following regulations, but their plans to remove a memorial to a U.S. chaplain at a camp in Kosovo have shocked and saddened his widow.

Elizabeth Oglesby said she was "a little bit sad" when FOXNews.com told her a sign honoring her late husband, Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Gordon Oglesby, would be removed from the North Chapel at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo.

The sign, as well as three crosses, are being removed to put the chapel in line with Army regulations, said Lt. Col. William D. Jenkins of the 35th Infantry Division's Kosovo Force 9.

"I didn’t even know that the plaque was erected or put up after his death," Oglesby's widow said. "But I am shocked that they would want to take it down, because I know he just lived for his soldiers.

"He got to know some of the local people there and he ministered to them as well in Kosovo."

Gordon Oglesby, a Baptist minister from Kermit, Texas, died in 2006 at age 57 after suffering a heart attack during a deployment to Kosovo on a peacekeeping mission. The sign dedicates the chapel to Oglesby's memory.

Army regulations prohibit chapels from being "named for any person, living or dead, or designated by a name or term suggesting any distinctive faith group," Jenkins said.

It was unclear who erected the memorial sign and the three crosses. Jenkins said he did not know who had done so.

The Base Camp Planning Board approved the removal of the crosses and memorial sign at a regularly scheduled meeting, he said.

"This is not a new regulation and exists to protect the free exercise of religion of all soldiers," Jenkins said.

Army regulations require the exterior of military chapels to remain free of religious symbols.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

A Few Righteous Slaps in the Face,...

Days before a deadline to vacate their historical Center City headquarters because of their policies on homosexuals and atheists, the Boy Scouts have sued the city, saying their constitutional rights have been trampled.

The federal suit, assigned to U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter, asks for a court order prohibiting city officials from evicting the Cradle of Liberty Council from its building, a Beaux Arts structure at 22d and Winter Streets. The scouts had been facing a deadline of Saturday to change their policy, begin paying market rates - about $200,000 a year - for the half-acre of city-owned land near Logan Square, or vacate.

The civil-rights lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Center City, contends that the city is violating the scouts' rights under the U.S. and Pennsylvania Constitutions.

"The City has imposed an unconstitutional condition upon Cradle of Liberty's receipt of a benefit that Cradle of Liberty has enjoyed for nearly eight decades," the suit reads.

Mayor Nutter, asked about the lawsuit at a speaking engagement yesterday in Harrisburg, said: "The issue is very, very clear and has been clear for a very long time. . . . I do find it interesting that somehow, some way, the Girl Scouts have figured out how to provide services to all girls and not discriminate, and the Boy Scouts have not figured out how to do the same.

"Our position is, you cannot discriminate in terms of delivery of services on city property," Nutter added. "The U.S. Supreme Court has opined that the Boy Scouts can have any rules that they want, and at the same time you can't discriminate on public property."

If the judge rules in the city's favor, the lawsuit asks that the Cradle of Liberty Council, which represents 70,000 members in Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, be compensated for its investment.

The building was erected by the Boy Scouts at a cost of $200,000. Cradle of Liberty officials say they renovated the building in 1994 for $2.6 million and spend about $60,000 a year on maintenance.

Regardless of the lawsuit's outcome, its filing means the scouts will not be on the sidewalk come Monday morning. Lawyers for both sides said the lawsuit preserves the status quo until the court rules, a process that could take months or more.

The lawsuit maintains that about 100 private organizations with membership criteria - including 15 youth groups - lease city property at rents of under $2,000 a year.

Only the Boy Scouts, the suit continues, have been threatened with eviction.

The lawsuit mentions the Roman Catholic Church of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which the suit says has paid a nominal rent for a church building in Pennypack Park since 1935; Zion Baptist Church, which pays $25 a year to lease three parcels of recreational land for the Clara Baldwin Home for seniors; and Women for Greater Philadelphia and the Colonial Dames of America, which have free perpetual leases for historic mansions in Fairmount Park.

"This city allows numerous organizations to use city-owned property and does not necessarily refuse them based on restrictions on membership," said Center City lawyer Jason P. Gosselin, who filed the suit on behalf of the Cradle of Liberty Council.

City Solicitor Shelley R. Smith said she believes the difference between the Boy Scouts and the other groups that lease city land or buildings is that the other groups do not discriminate in the social services they provide.

Smith said you cannot be a Boy Scout if you are openly gay or an atheist: "If we find that these other groups are doing that, we will take the appropriate action."

The Cradle of Liberty Council's predicament is one that scouting councils nationwide have faced since a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case the scouts won.

In Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, the Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that the scouts are a private group and thus have the right of "expressive association" under the First Amendment to set their own membership rules.

But the scouts' legal victory soon soured as municipal officials began reexamining long-standing relationships with local scout groups.

Local public officials say they are bound by another line of court rulings that bar them from using taxpayer support for any private group that discriminates. Other supporters, such as United Way, also dropped the scouts.

The scouts have maintained that they cannot change their membership policies without being ejected by the national scout organization and cannot afford the rent.

Scout officials say $200,000 a year would fund 30 new Cub Scout packs of summer camp for 800 needy children.

In October 2006, the Supreme Court refused to review a California Supreme Court ruling affirming the City of Berkeley's decision to revoke free marina use for a Sea Scouts group.

Gosselin said he did not believe the high court's ruling in the Berkeley case meant the Cradle of Liberty lawsuit could not succeed.

"Their decision not to take up the case on appeal was not a decision on the merits of the case," Gosselin said. "They don't take that many cases."

Philadelphia has an added wrinkle: a 1982 Fair Practices Ordinance that also bars the city from supporting any discriminatory groups.

Gosselin said the 1982 ordinance raises another question: "This situation has existed for 20 years. Why now?"

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora won a new term yesterday with the backing of a pro-U.S. coalition, angering the Hezbollah-led opposition, which had pressed for a change in leadership.

The decision came amid a two-day outbreak of low-level violence between supporters of the country's two main political camps.

Saniora was named anew to the government's most powerful executive position just three days after former army chief of staff Michel Suleiman was elected president and assigned to name a government after an accord meant to end a 19-month political crisis.

"Our national unity and coexistence are what we hold most precious and are the secret to the survival of this country," Saniora said in a televised address. "I address myself to my brothers in the nation from all sides and backgrounds with an open mind."

Saniora's victory appeared to catch the opposition off guard. Syrian- and Iranian-backed factions and most analysts said they believed the majority pro-U.S. coalition known as the March 14 movement would nominate parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, leader of the country's Sunni Arab community.

Hariri had met for more than an hour Monday with Manoucher Mottaki, the foreign minister of Iran. The meeting suggested that he might have gained the blessings of Hezbollah's primary international patron.

Although the pro-government camp denied any intent to rile the opposition, the move was seen as an attempt by the March 14 coalition to show its independence. The powerful opposition bloc had won numerous concessions, including the ability to veto any cabinet decisions by the government, in the agreement early this month after Hezbollah fighters seized control of western Beirut for a short time.

Although opposition leaders said they would abide by the decision of the pro-government camp, Hezbollah's television channel, Al Manar, attacked the prime minister as having brought the country to "political, economic and social catastrophe," noted that he received the approval of only 68 out of 127 lawmakers and warned of political instability in the next government.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Hey, WIllie Randolph, it's Not Because You're Black,...

Maybe this is not about the leader as much as it is about the led. Maybe this is about something that looked good on paper, but is dispiriting in reality.

The most expensive Met team in history is ineffective, indifferent and in big trouble.

Willie Randolph is a lame duck, but the team he is managing is just lame.

After learning Randolph would not be fired - at least not yesterday - the Mets were inspired enough to again be the second-best team in a game. They lost 7-3 to the surprising first-place Marlins, who now lead the Mets by 6 1/2 games.

There certainly is enough season left to make up 61/2 games, remembering, of course, that the Mets blew a 71/2-game lead with 17 games to play last year. But it is becoming more and more difficult to envision this conglomeration of players rallying regardless of their manager's identity.

That is not only because the Mets are 23-26 through Memorial Day. It is because the Mets are now 79-83 over the last 162 games, the equivalent of a full season. That record cannot be simply explained by poor managing.

Without swift change, Randolph soon will pay with his job, sacrificed to the anger of the Wilpons and the fury of the fans. Those left in the chagrined Shea crowd chanted "fire Willie" in the ninth inning.

But when Randolph is gone, what will remain is these players, the team Omar Minaya built, a team that now is that 79-83 record and not the NL East favorites portrayed on paper.

Minaya and Randolph met with Jeff and Fred Wilpon for more than two hours yesterday, then Minaya and Randolph sat side by side at a late afternoon Shea press conference.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

A Memorial Day Prayer

On Memorial Day, we honor the heroes who have laid down their lives in the cause of freedom, resolve that they will forever be remembered by a grateful Nation, and pray that our country may always prove worthy of the sacrifices they have made.

Throughout our Nation's history, our course has been secured by brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. These courageous and selfless warriors have stepped forward to protect the Nation they love, fight for America's highest ideals, and show millions that a future of liberty is possible. Freedoms come at great costs, yet the world has been transformed in unimaginable ways because of the noble service and devotion to duty of these brave individuals. Our country honors the sacrifice made by those who have given their lives to spread the blessings of liberty and lay the foundations of peace, and we mourn their loss.

Today, our service men and women continue to inspire and strengthen our Nation, going above and beyond the call of duty as part of the greatest military the world has ever known. Americans are grateful to all those who have put on our Nation's uniform and to their families, and we will always remember their service and sacrifice for our freedoms.On this solemn day our country unites to pay tribute to the fallen, who demonstrated the strength of their convictions and paid the cost of freedom. We pray for the members of our Armed Forces and their families, and we ask for God's continued guidance of our country.

In respect for their devotion to America, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved on May 11, 1950, as amended (64 Stat. 158), has requested the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106‑579, has also designated the minute beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite in prayer. I also ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day. I encourage the media to participate in these observances. I also request the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half staff until noon on this Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States, and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also request the people of the United States to display the flag at half staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty‑second day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Son of a Beach,...

WILDWOOD - Wildwood, where Jersey Shore enthusiasts can enjoy the state's widest beach and never purchase a beach tag, was the big winner yesterday in the Garden State's first Top 10 Beaches contest.

The Cape May County resort, with a beach that measures nearly a half-mile at its widest point, was voted best beach overall in a survey sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium, a coalition of environmental and tourism groups. More than 15,000 people cast ballots online and at regional events between February and April.

South Jersey beaches, nearly all of them in Cape May County, trounced their northern competition on the Top 10 list. The poll asked participants to rate towns along the state's 127-mile coastline on the basis of several characteristics including water quality, access, and aesthetics.

Neighboring Wildwood Crest came in second, followed by Ocean City, North Wildwood, Cape May, Asbury Park in Monmouth County, Avalon, Point Pleasant Beach in northern Ocean County, Beach Haven in southern Ocean County and Stone Harbor.

Survey respondents also named Wildwood the best beach town for events and tourism. Wildwood Crest was named tops for family vacations and Island Beach State Park, in central Jersey, was voted best for ecotourism, according to the survey, released at a news conference in Sandy Hook timed to kick off the Memorial Day weekend.

"People come to the Jersey Shore for the beaches and this proves that when people look for a good beach, they look for the factors that we offer in Wildwood," said Wildwood Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr.

"We're fortunate and proud to have the widest, cleanest and safest beach in the state. And it's free."

Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood and Atlantic City are the only beaches in the state that don't require visitors to purchase a beach tag. The cost of a daily tag elsewhere ranges from about $5 to $10; seasonal tags sell for an average of about $20.

Troiano said the only complaint the town of 5,000 year-round residents ever receives about its beaches seems to be how big they are.

Most like the size, which leaves plenty of room for volleyball, kite-flying and other activities. But "some people have said it's too long a walk to the water's edge," Troiano said.

"It's kind of an embarrassment of riches considering so many other towns are plagued by beach erosion," he said.

Wildwood City Commissioner Bill Davenport said he has often joked that towns up the coast "should color their beach sand so we'll know who to return it to when it washes ashore down here."

The Wildwoods - as Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood are collectively known - are among the few New Jersey Shore towns that haven't been re-engineered in beach-replenishment projects.

"When it comes to a natural beach, ours are the only ones that aren't manmade," Troiano said. "The sand hasn't been pumped in. That we are an all-natural beach is a very fortunate accident of geography, and maybe people appreciate that."

Diane F. Wieland, director of Cape May County's Department of Tourism, said she appreciated that seven of the Top 10 beaches are in her jurisdiction

"We really hit the jackpot," Wieland said. "We're certainly going to be using this information in every one of our television and print ads, brochures and on signage. Fifteen thousand people can't be wrong."

One of those people was Lisa Sharkey, 32, a lifelong Wildwood resident who voted in the survey.

"Wildwood has taken some knocks over the years, with problems with our downtown and boardwalk," Sharkey said. "But people really should come and look at this beach. It's incredible."

Wildwood?? Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot! Having been raised in Avalon during my summers (back when it was a shore town and not "Main-Line-by-the-Sea!"), Wildwood was a one-night treat to walk the board, go on the rides, and eat ice cream and hot, fresh waffles together. Then you went to Uncle Bill's Pancake House in Stone Harbor the next morning.

Nowadays, Wildwood attracts French Canadians, people who STILL think the 50s were cool, and NJ firefighters after Labor Day. No matter how much you knock down the old motels, it makes Asbury Park look quaint by comparison!

And North Wildwood? My God, the beach is bigger than the town. You're worn out walking by the time you get to the water!

15 Years Ago This Week,...

The TrekPerson, having endured 15 months of class time, internship, externship, and a romance gone down the drain from a lack of personal time, opened a large manila envelope from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (large envelopes meant good news back then).

Out popped the letter from the state saying "congratulations, having passed all of the requirements, you are now a licensed paramedic" along with my test scores (don't ask,..just think about what they call the guy who finishes last in medical school - doctor!) and three neat little patches:

Wow! 9 extra ORANGE letters!

OK,..I've since gotten over touching myself about it.

I've worked for 7 private ambulance services and four 9-1-1 community-based services. I've lost count of the number of babies I've delivered, the number of "bad accidents" I've rolled on and the number of "why in God's name did you wake me up a 3 am for this??" calls.

I've been the newbie with shaving cream in his turnout gear. I've been the father confessor, and I've been in positions of responsibility.

Stuff that only highly-trained doctors were allowed to do is now commonplace in the back of my bus.

I'm 40--(cough! cough!) something. I have a partially torn rotator cuff and a bad lumbar disc or two. I'm getting arthritis in my knees and hands.

I still get a rush going to hot calls, but hate the insulated Starbucks drinkers who think they're more important than me while screaming down the road at warp speed.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Well, It Certainly Explains a Few Things,...

BOSTON — Sen. Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital announced Tuesday, four days after the Democratic senator was rushed to the hospital following seizures.

Kennedy, 76, was diagnosed with the tumor Tuesday morning after he underwent a biopsy.

"Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe," his doctors said in a statement, adding that treatment would likely include "combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy."

The senator has been hospitalized in Boston since Saturday, when he was airlifted from Cape Cod after a seizure at his home. He suffered another one en route to the hospital, sources told FOX News.

His wife and children have been with him each day but have made no public statements.

His doctors said that he was in "good condition" and had not suffered any more seizures since Saturday.

Kennedy's colleagues on Capitol Hill reacted with shock and sadness Tuesday morning, but expressed confidence in his ability to fight through the illness.

"Every one of us knows what a big heart this fella has. He's helped millions and millions of people," said fellow Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry. "Everybody needs to pull for him and his family and remember that this guy is an unbelievable fighter."

"I'm betting on Senator Kennedy," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who himself has been battling Hodgkins lymphoma. "He's been such a champion on so many causes ... he's been a shining example of crossing the aisle."

In 1993, Spector was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and after getting a second opinion, had it removed and inspected and determined not to be malignant. He told FOX News maybe Kennedy's diagnosis is wrong, adding that will power is the key to beating cancer.

"I can tell you from my own experience that will power is very important — stay on the job, keep up regular duties, play squash," said Spector. "If tenacity can do it, Kennedy will be a survivor."

According to sources familiar with the situation, the prognosis for Kennedy is not optimistic and word is circulating through political circles in Massachusetts and on Capitol Hill that because the tumor is inoperable it can only be dealt with through chemotherapy and radiation.

Malignant gliomas are a type of brain cancer diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year — and the most common type among adults. It's an initial diagnosis: How well patients fare depends on what specific tumor type is determined by further testing.

Average survival can range from less than a year for very advanced and aggressive types — such as glioblastomas — or to about five years for different types that are slower growing.

"The news has been met throughout the country with great concern," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

If Kennedy were to resign or die in office, state law requires a special election for the seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after the vacancy occurs. He was re-elected in 2006 and is not up for election again until 2012.

Dr. Lee Shwamm, vice chairman of the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General, and Dr. Larry Ronan, Kennedy's primary care physician, said in their statement that Kennedy will continue to undergo testing to determine the best course of treatment.

"Senator Kennedy will remain at Massachusetts General Hospital for the next couple of days according to routine protocol. He remains in good spirits and full of energy," they said.

President Bush released a statement saying "Laura and I are concerned to learn of our friend Senator Kennedy's diagnosis.

"Ted Kennedy is a man of tremendous courage, remarkable strength, and powerful spirit. Our thoughts are with Senator Kennedy and his family during this difficult period. We join our fellow Americans in praying for his full recovery."

Kennedy, the second-longest serving member of the Senate and a dominant figure in national Democratic Party politics, was elected in 1962, taking over for family friend Benjamin A. Smith ll, who served as a placeholder in the seat originally won by Kennedy's brother, John F. Kennedy. John Kennedy went on to become president and Ted Kennedy ran for his seat when he turned 30 and was constitutionally eligible to enter the Senate.

The Kennedy's eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a World War II airplane crash. President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and his brother Robert was assassinated in 1968.

Kennedy is active for his age, maintaining an aggressive schedule on Capitol Hill and across Massachusetts. He has made several campaign appearances for Sen. Barack Obama in February, and most recently last month.

FOX News' Major Garrett, Chad Pergram and Trish Turner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

BOSTON -- If only all the spectators and teammates who reveled in Jon Lester's magical Monday night at Fenway Park could have seen the way it started.

There the left-hander was in the bullpen warming up with catcher Jason Varitek, and he had nothing. How was he going to thrive against the Royals when it seemed like all his pitches had stayed home?

As it turns out, Lester knows a thing or two about perseverance. And on this night, he stayed the course well enough to throw a no-hitter, the 18th in the history of the Red Sox.

(snip)

The joy couldn't have been any more genuine considering how tough it was on Lester, his teammates and the entire organization when the lefty was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma some 20 months ago. As if winning Game 4 of the World Series last fall wasn't enough of a fairy tale for Lester, now he has a no-hitter under his belt.

(snip)

Though he's just 24 years old, Lester has already experienced more highs and lows than most 15-year veterans. A cancer recovery followed by a World Series clincher and a no-hitter?

"It's hard to describe," Lester said. "I think they're both definitely up there. I can't tell you which one means more to me than the other. The World Series is obviously the World Series. How many people get to say they won that. A no-hitter is a no-hitter. How many people can say they've done that? They're both up there. They both mean a heck of a lot to me. It's something I'll cherish for a long time."

And Lester's teammates -- particularly his closer ones -- will enjoy it every bit as much.

"It's like divine intervention," said Red Sox ace Josh Beckett. "I know it's been two years since the whole cancer thing, but it's pretty cool to watch something like that, and I know he kind of had that last year winning the final game of the World Series, but this is another feat, more personal one that maybe winning the World Series. It's great. He's always had the talent and now it's starting to show."

Sunday, May 18, 2008

How to Derail Obamamania,...

Try speaking to a supporter of Barack Hussein Obama and ask them the following questions;

What does Barack, specifically, propose to change in this country and how is he going to change it?

What will be the results of the changes he enacts?

How does his message give you hope?

Are you insane?

Them: “He wants to bring us all together and change how the government works.”

Me: “Yes but HOW does he want to change it?”

Them: “Well, he wants to make it work better.”

Me: “Do you think things are more efficient when they are larger or smaller?”

Them: “Smaller.”

Me: “Do you think the government has shown that it works better when it is larger or smaller?”

Them: “Smaller.”

Me: “And Barack wants to make it bigger. How is that going to make government more efficient?”

At this point they usually give me a glare and storm away!

What they won’t (or can’t) admit is Barack’s plans are simply tax and spend, with heavier regulations on virtually every industry, causing prices and unemployment to rise and wages to fall.

As it stands I defy you to show me one thing outside of bearing a child that the government does not regulate in some way. Try to start any business, any business at all, and there are government agencies left and right that you must deal with, from the local to the federal level, everything is regulated by some bureaucrat in some way. Barack’s plans will make the regulations of today seem simple, possibly almost quaint, and we will be pining for the days when starting a business only took a huge effort, and not one of Herculean proportions.

The countless pictures of Barack supporters with moon-eyed adoration are indicative of people mindlessly enthralled with a personality. Add in the images of Barack with his hand held up in the midst of one of his Old Time Revival Style Speeches, backlit by a light creating a halo effect and one can certainly draw the conclusion that many people are looking to Barack as a savior of sorts, a man promising salvation if we’d only believe in him and his nebulous plans of Change and Hope.

Now, I am not calling Barack Hussein Obama the Anti-Christ, but only because in our world of sound bites, bumper sticker politics and thirty second attention spans the words “Anti-Christ” carries connotations that are unpalatable and mean spirited. Classically the Anti-Christ is one who is in place of Christ, and given the well known distaste the American Left has for Organized Religion (especially Christianity), the leap to Anti-Christ status for Obama would not be a hard one to make if one is prone to making leaps of logic, which of course, I am not.

I prefer a slow stroll down Logic Lane, as opposed to bounding from one issue to another. Not The Left it seems, whose phenomenal leaps of faith and bounds of logic simply ignore Barack’s voting record, lack of experience and outrageous promises to bring them everything from “free” healthcare to billions in new programs without ever taking the small step of asking “How will you pay for it?” when Barack says “I will give this to you.” When most right thinking people I know hear “I will” they ask “How much?”

When corporations lose their tax breaks they pass along the cost to us, then scale back, cut jobs and salaries and try to recoup losses by being leaner and more efficient. When corporations do this we all lose. The trickle down effect begins with the checkout girl who is first to lose her job, continues with layoffs in related industries when companies receive fewer orders for their goods and services coupled with higher costs which eventually may spiral out of control into a depression.

The people that do not understand a healthy free market must be left alone as much as possible are the very same people that are blindly following Obama.

So why the blindness? Can it be that Americans are now so disgusted with the government that any huckster with a glib tongue and empty promises can grab their attention?

Can it be that thirty plus years of leftist education policy is coming home to roost (to use the hottest phrase of the season) and that Americans are no longer intelligent enough to understand Obama’s policies are heavily socialist and will lead us down a road that has failed everywhere it has been tried?

Could it be that so many Americans have simply become socialists or bought into the lie that government is there to take care of us?

Is it possible that so many Americans have bought into the multiculturalism that the left has shoved down our throats for the last thirty years?

Whatever the reason for the blind faith so many people seem to have regarding Barack and his rhetoric of Change and Hope the fact remains that this movement is akin to a cult. Blind allegiance to nebulous promises and devotion to a magnetic personality who is all set to lead us, unquestioned and highly praised, into a socialist utopia is certain to destroy the last vestiges of freedom we possess.

The Death of the Cheesesteak,....

A Look At Philly's Most Expensive SandwichReportingNicole BrewerPHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Sliced, sizzled and slathered with cheese ... the famous Philly cheesesteak serves as an iconic representation of our city and now, an expensive luxury.

That's because Chef James Locascio of Rittenhouse Square's Barclay Prime created Philadelphia's "haute" cheesesteak, an upscale version of the sandwich that includes butter poached lobster and shaved truffles.

Locascio said, "It's every ingredient you want to try in a life time in one."

Still, that kind of lavishness doesn't come cheap. For one cheesesteak, expect to pay $100. That's nearly 15 times more than the original.

Locascio said, "We made sure we had the best beef we could find, the best lobster and the right cheese."

To get top of the line ingredients, Locascio says it costs $17 per pound for cheese, $21 per pound for Kobe beef and $900 per pound for summer truffles.

So who buys the costly sandwich?

On average, five or six customers order it per night and many share it as an appetizer.

Locascio said, "It all adds up, a quarter of a million dollars a year in cheesesteaks is pretty good."

With other steak shops selling their sandwich for about seven dollars a pop, you might say that's really good.

Far be it for me to rant, but, let's get real. I want lobster? I'm not ordering a cheesesteak to get it. I want Kobe beef? I'm not hiding the taste behind an Amoroso's roll.

Truffles? Too damn expensive to even justify the cost. I'd rather pass than eat anything that cost's $900.00 a pound!

And, there's really only three types of cheese acceptable on a Philly Cheesesteak...Good 'ol American (in Kensington, we called it "square" cheese), Provolone, or "'Whiz". The end.

If I want a cheesesteak, I prefer to get mine at 1) Geno's, 2) Pizza Time in Conshy, or 3) the old Mimmo's Pizza at Broad and Windrim, in Philly. I'll pay the $6-$7 dollars for the sandwich and get my belly full in the process. I'm simply not going to Barclay Prime for a cheesesteak.

I also find it hard to believe that they get "On average, five or six customers...per night" ordering this bastardized version of the Philly classic.

I give the entire idea of it a "thumbs down" for being pretentious and ostentatious. Too fancy for any real Philly guy or gal.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Do As I Say, Not As I Do?

So, this weekend, as the TrekMedic was in hunter-gatherer mode, he visited the local Genuardisstore. Luckily, this past weekend was their "Grand Re-Opening" following their grand reorganization (in other words, they've stopped moving the meats over to the produce, the produce over to the bread aisle, etc).

Anyway,...along with the balloons and streamers came brand spankin' new carts. And on those carts was this new unique little black attachment....

IT WAS A FRIGGIN' CUP HOLDER!!!Apparently these liberal Main Line dilettantes can't get through an hour-long shopping excursion without their $8 cup of Starbucks! And these same green-loving liberals, who complain about the use of plastics and our dependence on foreign oil need a plastic cup holder made from petrochemicals derived from the same oil??

Next rant,....

As we attempt to remove our lips from the Saudi crack pipe, we are directing our energies towards producing more ethanol and bio-diesel. Its growing corn and sugar cane and soy beans! Its good for the environment in the perfect Algorian Utopia, right?

No,...despite all the growing and planting and singing Kum-ba-ya, people are now complaining that ethanol will INCREASE the amount of greenhouse gasses!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Joey Vento was Right!

Gentle readers, as you know, the TrekMedic actually holds down a wage-paying job when he's not blogging along to information highway.

He's a paramedic. (A cranky, tired, old and arthritic one at that, but that's another rant)

Over the last week, the ability to proficiently speak the English language, especially when dealing with the sick and injured, sorely tested the TrekMedic's patience.

First, the TrekMedic was dispatched to one of our regular nursing homes to assist one of our BLS crews on a "Bleeding" call. Arriving at the same time as the BLS guys, we found an elderly woman in bed, unconscious. No, wait - she's just asleep. No evidence in her bed of any bleeding. After several long minutes of waiting and assessing the patient, the nursing SUPERVISOR, a young Oriental woman, arrived and simply stated to us "she bleeding." Nothing more. After several attempts to get her to expand on that thought, she finally pointed to the patient's groin area and said "down there." She then left, not to be seen again.

Follow up: the patient showed no evidence of active bleeding. Her vital signs were OK. The transfer paperwork the nursing home is required to send with the patient stated some blood was found in her diaper during changing.

Next, yesterday, while at the office performing my supervisory duties, I was told to respond to another facility along with a nearby BLS crew for a possible stroke victim with "bloody vision." Now, folks, this is more serious. A stroke could be causing the patient's blood pressure to go so high that an optical vein could have burst. This is a life-threatening issue!

OK,...so here's what happened: again, non-local nurse calls it in. The patient is in rehab because he's had a stroke and was no complaining of "BLURRY VISION." There are more than a half-dozen differential diagnoses why his vision is blurry. Again, the patient was fine, vitals normal, released to the BLS crew after consulting with medical command.

The point to all this pro-English ranting? Its bad enough that only 40+% of 911 calls turn out to be what was dispatched. Do I really need to fly down the road and put my life, as well as the lives of other commuters, in jeopardy because someone can't speak this country's language???

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Gotcha!!

The third and final suspect wanted in connection with a bank robbery that led to the killing of Philadelphia police sergeant Steven Liczbinski goes before a judge Thursday afternoon to hear the charges against him.

33-year-old Eric Floyd was found asleep with his girlfriend just after 11:00 p.m. in an abandoned row home in the 5400-block of Windsor Street in the Kingsessing section of southwest Philadelphia Wednesday night.

Police say the two had been in contact daily since the killing, but don't know if they had been staying together or hooked up afterwards.

Investigators credit the public's help and good police work for hemming Floyd in. Sources tell Fox Philadelphia that police received a tip from a drug dealer on the same street who told them where they might find Floyd. Police chose not to go to the caller's house first. Had they done so, that may have tipped off Floyd, allowing him time to escape.

Instead, a squad of officers stealthily rolled into the neighborhood and took up positions around the house for the takedown. Residents knew something was up.

"About six or seven vans pull up and the officers jumped out the vans and grabbed their guns and rifles and were running up and down the street," said one witness.

Floyd gave himself up without resistance and was taken to police headquarters in a 24th Police District van, wearing the handcuffs of slain officer Sgt. Liczbinski. (Sgt. Liczbinksi was assigned to the 24th Police District). His girlfriend was also brought in a short time later.

Mayor Michael Nutter, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, FBI agents and Philadelphia police officers were all present as Floyd was unloaded from the van.

"I had to look in the face of a guy who would do something like that. Quite frankly, as one African American male to another… how disappointed I was in what he had done," said Nutter. "You just wonder- for what? Why did you do that? There's no explanation. He will pay a heavy debt, but no where near as heavy as the rest of the Liczbinski family."

Commissioner Ramsey called the widow of Sgt. Liczbinski to let her know Floyd was in custody. During that call, he says she thanked him and passed the word to other family members, then heard a loud cheer in the background.

Authorities received more than 100 tips, aided by a reward that swelled to more than $150,000.

His other alleged accomplice, Levon Warner, is in custody. The third man believed involved, Howard Cain, was killed by police Saturday.

On Tuesday, police arrested and charged 19-year-old Levi Swigart of Duncannon, Perry County. They say he provided a stolen handgun used by one of the suspects in the bank robbery.

Officers tell Fox Philadelphia they are extremely relieved to have all of the suspects in custody in advance of the slain officer's funeral Friday.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

The Thin Blue Line Gets Thinner,....

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― A Philadelphia Police officer has died after being shot by alleged bank robbery suspects in the city's Port Richmond section Saturday morning.

Authorities said at least two armed men held up the Bank of America inside a Shop Rite located at Aramingo and Castor Avenues at 11:26 a.m.

A 24th District Police Sergeant and 12-year veteran, 40-year-old Stephen Liczbinski, was ambushed by the fleeing gunmen in the 2600 block of Schiller Street. Sergeant Liczbinski was taken to Temple University Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries early Saturday afternoon.

A police pursuit ensued following the officer's shooting and one of the suspects was shot by police in the 500 block of E. Louden Street in the Feltonville section. The unidentified suspect was taken to Temple University Hospital where he died.

"The second individual and possibly a third individual is still at large. They are now part of an extensive search," Ramsey said.

Members of law enforcement from the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania and Delaware State Police have been involved in a city-wide manhunt for two other suspects, including a possible female accomplice. The suspects are considered armed and dangerous and anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to contact Philadelphia police.

During an afternoon news conference, Mayor Nutter and Police Commissioner Ramsey told the city of Philadelphia to wrap their arms around the fallen officer's family and offer support in this time of tragedy.

"I ask that we rally around this family wrap our arms around them, keep them in our prayers. They will need ongoing help and support as we grapple with what has happened here today and I just want to express my own personal sympathies to this family and thank the officer for his long hard work for the Philadelphia Police Department," Mayor Nutter said.

Sergeant Liczbinski, who was promoted to Sergeant in October of 2007, leaves behind a wife, two sons and a daughter.

"This loss of life from a fine Philadelphia Police Officer is just one more example of the senseless violence that takes place here in our city. Our hearts and our prayers go out to his wife Michelle, his sons; Matt, Steven, and his daughter Amber. We are all affected by what has happened here," Mayor Nutter said.

There is an active manhunt for the other two suspects who were last seen near F Street and Roosevelt Boulevard near a wooded area just south of Friends Hospital. Police describe them as:

Suspect #1:Tall black maleMedium buildDressed in full robe

Wearing sunglasses during the robberyHad a shoulder type bag over his right shoulder

Suspect #2:

Possibly a femaleUnknown raceStanding 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7

Wearing light brown robe from head to toe

Suspect #3:

Stalky buildStanding 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-3Medium brown complexionShoulder length dreadlocks type hair that could have possibly been a wigBlue jeans and a light colored shirt that may have been a flannel shirtWearing a white mask possibly a hospital or construction-type mask over his mouth

Anyone with information should immediately notify police as they are considered armed and dangerous.

Another One Bites the Dust!

LONDON — A Conservative lawmaker with a knack for offensive remarks ousted the left-wing mayor of London in an upset that capped the ruling Labour Party's worst local election showing in four decades.

Results released early Saturday showed Boris Johnson defeating Ken Livingstone in Labour's first test at the polls since then-Prime Minister Tony Blair handed the reins last year to Gordon Brown, who has since been dogged by accusations of indecision and incompetence.

Voters also picked opposition candidates in more than 300 municipal council races, prompting Brown to humbly pledge to heed the scathing verdict.

Conservative leader David Cameron said his party's strong gains represented a key moment on the path to ousting Brown at the next national election, to be held before mid-2010.

"Three years ago the idea that the Conservatives would win London and build up a 20-point lead across the county would have been literally unthinkable," Cameron said.

"I do hope that it does show that the Conservatives have changed into a party that can again be trusted," Johnson said, shortly after the result was announced to cheers from raucous supporters. "Let's get cracking tomorrow and let's have a drink tonight."

Johnson, a former magazine editor, offered lavish praise for his rivals in the race and paid tribute to Livingstone's role in guiding London through the 2005 transit network bombings.

Livingstone — a staunch leftist who courted Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and faced off with the U.S. Embassy for unpaid congestion charges — said the blame for his defeat must rest at his door, not Brown's.

"I accept that responsibility and I regret that I couldn't take you to victory," the veteran politician said, looking pale and crestfallen. He leaves office immediately.

Johnson took 1,168,738 votes to Livingstone's 1,028,966 in a contest that hinged on a second round of voting.

Voters are asked to pick a first, then second choice as mayor — Johnson didn't win the required 50 percent initially, but triumphed when second preferences from eight minor candidates, eliminated after the first round, were added to the totals.

Uncombed and often awkward, Johnson is known both his wit and for remarks that are have offended minority communities and others.

He labeled members of the Commonwealth "piccaninnies" — a derogatory term for black people, referred to Africans as having "watermelon smiles," and likened his party's internal conflicts "to Papua New Guinea-style orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing."

Johnson's scorn has also been directed at gay marriage, which became legal in Britain in 2005. In his book "Friends, Voters, Countrymen," he said that if homosexuals could marry then why not "three men, as well as two men; or indeed three men and a dog."

Ex-party leader Michael Howard ordered Johnson to visit the northern city of Liverpool in 2004 to apologize after he wrote an editorial accusing the city's people of "wallowing" in victimhood after Liverpudlian Ken Bigley was taken hostage in Iraq and beheaded.

Johnson has cultivated a befuddled, rumpled image and was often seen clumsily pedaling his bicycle to Parliament.

His campaign billboards featured silhouettes of his iconic poses — scratching his unruly thatch of blond hair, ambling along a road with hands stuffed in wrinkled pockets, gesticulating wildly to make a debating point.

His first key test is likely to hinge on how he handles relations with China. As mayor, he will be expected to attend at least part of the Beijing Olympics — and his party will hope he is able to avoid offending the hosts.

"Chinese cultural influence is virtually nil, and unlikely to increase," Johnson wrote in one of his several books — on subjects ranging from sports cars to Ancient Rome.

Johnson said it is likely "there will be the odd ill-chosen expression" in his future.

Results from the 159 local councils which held ballots in England and Wales on Thursday showed the Conservatives gaining 260 seats with Labour losing 333. The Liberal Democrats gained 34 seats.

Most results were announced Friday, but a high turnout in London — where around 5.5million cast ballots — meant the count there continued until early Saturday.

The British Broadcasting Corp. projected the Conservatives would take 44 percent of the vote in England and Wales, putting it 20 points ahead of Labour. Brown's party was a point behind the Liberal Democrats, usually the country's third-largest party, according to the BBC.

Brown was credited with overseeing Britain's longest stretch of postwar prosperity and enjoyed a strong start as prime minister when he took the post in June.He claimed to represent substance after the slick Blair years, but a brief honeymoon with voters ended abruptly when he anguished over, and then ruled out, a snap national election in October.

Since then, grumbles over rising food and fuel prices, tax changes that have hit blue-collar workers and the costly nationalization of mortgage lender Northern Rock have conspired to send poll ratings for his Labour Party to a 20-year low.

One Labour peer, Lord Desai, recently quipped that Brown's true role was to show his party how much they missed Blair.

The TrekMedic pontificates:

Lord Desai is correct: these sort of local elections are frequently a portent of things to come at the national level. This is not unlike the 2006 elections being a sign of public dissatisfaction with Presient Bush and the republican Party.

Now,..with Sarkozy in France, Berlusconi back in Italy and Merkel in Germany taking Europe on the "right"path, could England be next?